Rivka Rivera (she/her) is a Jew-Yo-Rican actor, playwright, filmmaker, and educator born and raised between Brooklyn and East Harlem. Her name ‘Rivka’ means to bind, to make whole. She aims to inspire the practice of ‘making whole’ by creating work that engages audiences and participants to wrestle with and reflect on the layered and nuanced complexities of their own identities.
As an actress, Rivka can be seen in films like “Firelight” (ABC/HALLMARK) opposite Cuba Gooding Jr., the Sci-Fi Cult Favorite “The Circle” (NETFLIX), and most recently Peter Hedge’s “The Same Storm.” She also stars in the viral web series “Abandon All Hope” which she produced. Rivka has performed at Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theater, EST, Dixon Place, LAByrinth Intensive Ensemble, and more. Rivka’s latest play THE MOURNERS about an estranged family forced together during Hurricane Maria was recently selected for Carnegie Mellon’s inaugural development incubator ColLABo. Rivka was also a finalist for Rattlestick Theater’s inaugural Terrence McNally New Works Incubator Fellows as well as a Princess Grace Semi-Finalist. As a filmmaker, her short about a real mushroom trip she took with her mother was featured in PAPER MAG.
Rivka is interested in creating work that transforms and interrogates personal, political, and cultural systems. Rivka has a long history as an arts organizer, educator, and producer. In 2012 she co-founded and ran Towne Hall, a warehouse space in downtown Los Angeles, dedicated to providing a community venue for artists of all professional levels and socioeconomic means to create, connect, and share. Since 2016, Rivka has been co-developing and facilitating a project called “To Protect, Serve and Understand” at Irondale Theater where she also is a board member. This program brings together community members and police officers to use theater as a means of deepening understanding, and critical thinking and applying the tools of the actor to be heard, and bear active witness to others’ perspectives.
Currently, Rivka co-hosts the Award - Winning podcast Movies vs. Capitalism an anti-capitalist movie re-watch podcast.
Rivka is a member of the Conch Shell Artist Collective of Caribbean Diaspora Writers, Irondale Ensemble, and [Re] Verse Writer’s Group. Rivka is a proud graduate of Fiorello H. LaGuardia H.S. for Performing Arts and Carnegie Mellon University.
THE LATEST…
MOVIES VS. CAPITALISM won a Signal Award in the category of Best Film & TV!
MOVIES VS. CAPITALISM is nominated for an Ambie Award in the category of Best Entertainment podcast - sponsored by The Hollywood Reporter.
Rivka’s play "The Mourners" was selected for the inaugural ColLabo laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University. Read more here.
MOVIES VS CAPITALISM - Launches 2/7/23. An anti-capitalist movie rewatch podcast hosted by Rivka Rivera + Frank Capello. This podcast is produced by The Lever. To listen, like & subscribe visit: www.MVCPod.com.
Rivka was invited to join the 2022 LABrynth Intensive Ensemble where she devised work with an incredible group of creatives.
Rivka can be seen as MAYA in Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Peter Hedges’ drama “The Same Storm.”
Rivka was invited to become a member of CONCH SHELL PRODUCTIONS 2022 ARTIST COLLECTIVE OF CARIBBEAN DIASPORA multi-hyphenate writers. She is developing a new play for the CS New Works Reading Series 2022.
Rivka just wrapped production on the feature film “The Alchemy of Solitude.”
Still of Rivka Rivera as BOSS in Alchemy of Solitude.
Cast & Crew of Alchemy of Solitude.
Rivka stars opposite actress Jenson Smith in THE MEDIUM.
Rivka just finished filming a lead role in the short film FREE by Tara Bruno.
Featured Press: Rivka is the recipient of a $5,000 City Artist Corps grant for NYC-based working artists. She is being recognized for her new play THE MOURNERS. CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT IT ON BROADWAY WORLD.